__A Native of Verona, Italy, Fabio Conti grew up cooking or being involved with the preparation of food as a member of a busy family of four children. When Fabio turned 17, he began traveling and tasting the cuisine of such places as Northern Africa (Tunis & Morocco) Spain, France, Germany, Holland, Greece and England. At 19 he went to Mexico and traveling throughout Central and South America, returning no less than three times.

__In 1985, he decided to open with his older brother, Claudio, a small ice cream parlor in the tourist town of Puerto Escondido (near Acapulco). Fabio took care to learn the workings of the machine thoroughly before it was shipped from Italy. Unfortunately, it took two years to arrive. In the interim, Fabio and Claudio managed to turn their storefront coffe-shop into a local hot spot which ultimately served breakfast, lunch and dinner along with offering liquor and entertainment. Because of demand, they also physically expanded their establishment, adding a terrace.

__After five years, Fabio decided he wanted to come to the United States and open a restaurant on his own. On arrival, he quickly learned his success in Mexico meant nothing, so he started from scratch as a busboy working in the Valley. He soon learned of an opening at Marino's for a bartender and on taking that position, transformed the bar. Within three months, he transitioned to waiting tables there.

__After 1 1/2 years at Marino's , he worked six months at La Trattoria on 3rd, then at Chianti for six months. While at Chianti's he found a little storefront on Melrose near the studios with reasonable rent and spent the next three months fixing up his restaurant by day while working as a waiter at Chianti's at night. Soon he opened the first FABIOLUS Café (at 5255 Melrose) offering lunch as well as dinner. The establishment was as immediate hit.

__On acquiring the funds to open a second location, in 1993 Fabio arrived on a scooter to look at a place for rent just off the corner of Sunset and Vine. The owner was reluctant to rent to him until he took up Fabio's invitation to look at his other restaurant! As a result, in 1993, Fabio founded the second FABIOLUS Café (at 6270 Sunset). Fabio attributes his success to the facts that: he intimately knows every aspect of the restaurant business and his insistence that all his establishments offer good food and service at reasonable prices. He feels the element that puts him ahead is the fact that he truly likes people and as a result enjoys the restaurant business immensely. "If you want to work in the restaurant business, it has to be fun. This communicates to patrons. I tell all my people, have fun! It's that extra smile that makes customers happy and helps them enjoy their dining experience just a little bit more.

__Though he no longer gets into the kitchen as much as he likes, he still helps design the menus, continually changing the cuisine and remains hands-on with every aspect on his restaurants including being a hit with his customers, who adore him. In keeping with his generous and people-friendly nature, Fabio is also active with charities of all kinds in terms of donating food and restaurant space (from Aid for AIDS and Project Angel Food to the Hollywood Entertainment Museum and independent filmmakers and AFI students, to name but a few).